George Richard Prendergast Becher (1808-1846)
GEORGE RICHARD PRENDERGAST BECHER, the eldest son of George Becher and Harriet Geldart Barclay, was born on 26th October 1808 at Cawnpore.He entered Charterhouse School - then located near Smithfield, London - in January 1821 under the tutelage of Rev. William Herbert Chapman MA but left in December. He was nominated for an East India Company Cadetship by his uncle, Alfred Read Becher and became Cadet in 1825 and went out to India arriving there on 7th July 1826.He became an Ensign with the 38th Native Infantry (N.I.) on 15th March 1826 but on 27th October that year was convicted of debt and was committed to Calcutta Gaol. He was discharged from the Insolvent Debtors Court on 14th January 1827 and transferred to the 4th N.I. on 10th May. His other commissions and appointments were: Lieutenant - 9th April 1832; Brevet-Captain - 15th March 1841 with the 4th N.I.; Qualified as Regtl Interpreter 30th November 1843.
Four years after having three children with a local woman, he married Phoebe Letitia Cecilia Berkeley 13th September 1841 at Bareilly. She was born 11th December 1821 at Cawnpore the daughter of Henry James Fitzhardinge Berkeley and Jane Smith.
However, just three years later at a general court martial at Sukkur on 16th December 1844, and as reported in Allen's Mail of 4th January 1845, he was arraigned on two principal charges with three secondary charges. 'First, for conduct disgraceful to an officer and gentleman, in having a letter addressed to the adjutant-general of the army, dated Bareilly dated December 19th, 1843, falsely accused me, his commanding officer, of unusual intimacy with a band boy of the regimental band, now bandmaster of the regiment, and falsely and disrespectfully alleged that circumstance as the chief reason for his, Captain Becher's, having declined to be on friendly terms with me, his commanding officer.'
The second principal charge was 'for scandalous infamous conduct, unbecoming the character of an officer and gentleman, in having caused to be published in the Agra Ukhbar newspaper, of the 10th April, 1844, a letter signed “Chiel”, in which the aforesaid false accusation against me, his commanding officer, is again falsely alleged, in which further false and scandalous charges are made against me.'
The first secondary charge was 'For highly disgraceful conduct, unbecoming the character of an office and gentleman, in having, through a mean subterfuge, maliciously conveyed to the adjutant-general of the army, a slanderous attack on my character, by forwarding to him in a letter, dated 19th December 1843, a letter signed “a Subaltern” published in the Delhi Gazette of the 14th January 1844, and writing in allusion to me, his then commanding officer, “I have been informed that this letter was construed into an attack upon him, and that it was imputed to me.”
The second secondary charge was 'For conduct highly insubordinate and prejudicial to discipline, in being in the habit of writing letters on professional grievances in the newspapers, reflecting most unwarrantably on the conduct of his superiors, in direct disobedience to general orders by his Excellency the commander-in-chief dated 8th of June 1822, republished in general orders by the provisional commander-in-chief.'
The third and final secondary charge was 'For most scandalous and infamous conduct, unbecoming the character of an officer and gentleman, in having, on various occasions, between the months of October 1842 and May 1844, endeavoured to prejudice and degrade my character in the opinion of several of the junior officers of the 4th regiment Bengal N.I. and an officer attached thereto (the said officers being under my immediate command) by statements, insinuations and assertions of a most calumnious and malignant description, tending to impress upon their minds the belief that I had been guilty of criminality of the foulest nature, by imputing to me the disgusting and abominable offence of having had an unnatural connection with a personal named Hugh Cavanagh, formerly a band boy, and now bandmaster of the 4th N.I. Signed: Henry Francis Caley, Lt Col. Commanding 68th N.I.'
The court found him guilty on each principal and secondary charge and sentenced him to be cashiered. The Commander-in-Chief, Hugh Gough, noted, however, that while he 'coincides with the Court in their expression of regret, that an accusation of so heinous a nature, and one so completely without foundation, should ever have been brought forward against Lt Col Caley but his Excellency, at the same time, feels it right to record his disapproval of the indiscreet patronage and employment by Lt Col Caley of a soldier under his command, however humane and benevolent might have been his motives, and however correct and praiseworthy the conduct of that soldier.
Signed: H. Gough, Commander-in-Chief,
Head quarters, Simla, 3rd May 1845.'
Almost a year after that document was signed George R. P. Becher died on 17th March 1846 at Bareilly aged 37. One can only speculate upon his state of mind during his trial and upon the consequent burden of embarrassment, disgrace and the suffering his family endured even when knowing that his accusations, coupled with the evidence of the extraordinarily rapid rise of the band boy to bandmaster, as well as the Commander-in-Chief's own barbed remark, were more than likely to have had many more than a few grains of truth in them. He died insolvent and, according to the London Gazette, it took the next 25 years - until 22nd November 1871 - before the Official Assignee was ordered to divide the sum of 905-11-9 Rupees amongst the creditors at the rate of R6-4 per cent. His wife, Phoebe, went on to marry General William Vincent on 6th April 1847 at Boolunshahur and she died 26th June 1865 at St. Leonard's on Sea, Sussex.
There were five children in total:
1. Eliza Becher was born 0n 10th July 1832 at Allahabad. She married a widower, Allen Bowie, on 15th August 1859 at Kidderpore, Bengal. He was born in 1835 the son of Thomas Bowie and Elizabeth and he worked in the Preventative Service. She died 9th September 1894 at Calcutta. There was one daughter.
2. Sophia Becher was born 4th March 1835 at Berkampore. She married Stuart Brynner on 24th February 1862 at Rangoon. He was born in 1826 the son of Alexander Brynner. It is not known when she died.
3. Emma Becher was born 29th July 1838 at Gurruckpore and died 1st February 1843 at Dinapore.
4. George Arthur Berkeley Becher was born 28th June 1842 at Bareilly and was educated at the Central Hill School, Croydon with his younger brother Henry. He returned to India where for a short time he had a commission in the Army from 29th April 1861. He died on 5th April 1864 at Shajehanpore.
5. Henry James Elliot Becher was born 20th December 1843 at Bareilly. He attended the Central Hill School, Croydon with his older brother and they both appear there in the 1851 Census. At some point he returned to India and by the late 1860s is referred to as 'Of Kotghur, near Simla' though it is not known what he was doing there. He married (Lily) Henrietta Roberts on 8th April 1879 at the Registry Office, South Dublin. She was born about 1863 the daughter of Hiram J. Roberts. Around 1885 they sailed to the Cape where their son was born. They returned to India where he died on 29th September 1890 at the Lahore Mayo Hospital, Bombay. On 15th June 1892 she married, secondly, James Burtenshaw at St James', Calcutta but they had little time together as she died three months later on 14th September at Lahore.
There was one child:
John Stephen Berkeley Becher who was born 18th August 1855 at Natal and baptized 25th October 1885 at St Paul's, Durban. It is not known if his stepfather took care of him or not. John died in 1900; no more details are known.
Four years after having three children with a local woman, he married Phoebe Letitia Cecilia Berkeley 13th September 1841 at Bareilly. She was born 11th December 1821 at Cawnpore the daughter of Henry James Fitzhardinge Berkeley and Jane Smith.
However, just three years later at a general court martial at Sukkur on 16th December 1844, and as reported in Allen's Mail of 4th January 1845, he was arraigned on two principal charges with three secondary charges. 'First, for conduct disgraceful to an officer and gentleman, in having a letter addressed to the adjutant-general of the army, dated Bareilly dated December 19th, 1843, falsely accused me, his commanding officer, of unusual intimacy with a band boy of the regimental band, now bandmaster of the regiment, and falsely and disrespectfully alleged that circumstance as the chief reason for his, Captain Becher's, having declined to be on friendly terms with me, his commanding officer.'
The second principal charge was 'for scandalous infamous conduct, unbecoming the character of an officer and gentleman, in having caused to be published in the Agra Ukhbar newspaper, of the 10th April, 1844, a letter signed “Chiel”, in which the aforesaid false accusation against me, his commanding officer, is again falsely alleged, in which further false and scandalous charges are made against me.'
The first secondary charge was 'For highly disgraceful conduct, unbecoming the character of an office and gentleman, in having, through a mean subterfuge, maliciously conveyed to the adjutant-general of the army, a slanderous attack on my character, by forwarding to him in a letter, dated 19th December 1843, a letter signed “a Subaltern” published in the Delhi Gazette of the 14th January 1844, and writing in allusion to me, his then commanding officer, “I have been informed that this letter was construed into an attack upon him, and that it was imputed to me.”
The second secondary charge was 'For conduct highly insubordinate and prejudicial to discipline, in being in the habit of writing letters on professional grievances in the newspapers, reflecting most unwarrantably on the conduct of his superiors, in direct disobedience to general orders by his Excellency the commander-in-chief dated 8th of June 1822, republished in general orders by the provisional commander-in-chief.'
The third and final secondary charge was 'For most scandalous and infamous conduct, unbecoming the character of an officer and gentleman, in having, on various occasions, between the months of October 1842 and May 1844, endeavoured to prejudice and degrade my character in the opinion of several of the junior officers of the 4th regiment Bengal N.I. and an officer attached thereto (the said officers being under my immediate command) by statements, insinuations and assertions of a most calumnious and malignant description, tending to impress upon their minds the belief that I had been guilty of criminality of the foulest nature, by imputing to me the disgusting and abominable offence of having had an unnatural connection with a personal named Hugh Cavanagh, formerly a band boy, and now bandmaster of the 4th N.I. Signed: Henry Francis Caley, Lt Col. Commanding 68th N.I.'
The court found him guilty on each principal and secondary charge and sentenced him to be cashiered. The Commander-in-Chief, Hugh Gough, noted, however, that while he 'coincides with the Court in their expression of regret, that an accusation of so heinous a nature, and one so completely without foundation, should ever have been brought forward against Lt Col Caley but his Excellency, at the same time, feels it right to record his disapproval of the indiscreet patronage and employment by Lt Col Caley of a soldier under his command, however humane and benevolent might have been his motives, and however correct and praiseworthy the conduct of that soldier.
Signed: H. Gough, Commander-in-Chief,
Head quarters, Simla, 3rd May 1845.'
Almost a year after that document was signed George R. P. Becher died on 17th March 1846 at Bareilly aged 37. One can only speculate upon his state of mind during his trial and upon the consequent burden of embarrassment, disgrace and the suffering his family endured even when knowing that his accusations, coupled with the evidence of the extraordinarily rapid rise of the band boy to bandmaster, as well as the Commander-in-Chief's own barbed remark, were more than likely to have had many more than a few grains of truth in them. He died insolvent and, according to the London Gazette, it took the next 25 years - until 22nd November 1871 - before the Official Assignee was ordered to divide the sum of 905-11-9 Rupees amongst the creditors at the rate of R6-4 per cent. His wife, Phoebe, went on to marry General William Vincent on 6th April 1847 at Boolunshahur and she died 26th June 1865 at St. Leonard's on Sea, Sussex.
There were five children in total:
1. Eliza Becher was born 0n 10th July 1832 at Allahabad. She married a widower, Allen Bowie, on 15th August 1859 at Kidderpore, Bengal. He was born in 1835 the son of Thomas Bowie and Elizabeth and he worked in the Preventative Service. She died 9th September 1894 at Calcutta. There was one daughter.
2. Sophia Becher was born 4th March 1835 at Berkampore. She married Stuart Brynner on 24th February 1862 at Rangoon. He was born in 1826 the son of Alexander Brynner. It is not known when she died.
3. Emma Becher was born 29th July 1838 at Gurruckpore and died 1st February 1843 at Dinapore.
4. George Arthur Berkeley Becher was born 28th June 1842 at Bareilly and was educated at the Central Hill School, Croydon with his younger brother Henry. He returned to India where for a short time he had a commission in the Army from 29th April 1861. He died on 5th April 1864 at Shajehanpore.
5. Henry James Elliot Becher was born 20th December 1843 at Bareilly. He attended the Central Hill School, Croydon with his older brother and they both appear there in the 1851 Census. At some point he returned to India and by the late 1860s is referred to as 'Of Kotghur, near Simla' though it is not known what he was doing there. He married (Lily) Henrietta Roberts on 8th April 1879 at the Registry Office, South Dublin. She was born about 1863 the daughter of Hiram J. Roberts. Around 1885 they sailed to the Cape where their son was born. They returned to India where he died on 29th September 1890 at the Lahore Mayo Hospital, Bombay. On 15th June 1892 she married, secondly, James Burtenshaw at St James', Calcutta but they had little time together as she died three months later on 14th September at Lahore.
There was one child:
John Stephen Berkeley Becher who was born 18th August 1855 at Natal and baptized 25th October 1885 at St Paul's, Durban. It is not known if his stepfather took care of him or not. John died in 1900; no more details are known.